The Presidential Daily Brief

intriguing

In Estonia, Many Russians Remain Stateless

They live in an area that’s gray — like their passports. That’s because most lifelong ethnic Russian residents of Estonia find citizenship prohibitive. Often hailing from Russian-speaking areas, they’re required to pass a tough Estonian-language naturalization test or be excluded from government and even some private-sector employment. They also can’t travel as freely as full citizens, so now Moscow is coming to their rescue, promising unrestricted border crossings and possibly Russian passports. The Tallinn government, not wanting disenfranchised Russians to become a pretext for invasion, is mulling easier citizenship requirements.